I would have to agree with Wiggins’ thoughts on assessments. We are in the business of teaching meaning we want students to acquire skills or knowledge. In order to determine whether one has acquired such information, we need to have varied assessments to monitor our learning goals. If it is something valuable for one to have acquired, then we have to find meaningful ways to perform or produce such information. If we only wanted to expose individuals to ideas and concepts then there would be no need for assessment because there wasn’t a stated desire to learn or acquire information.
Wiggins’ response to question one, “What distinctions do you make between testing and assessment?” is a good reminder that testing is a snapshot where assessment is more tracking the growth. I have been a special educator for 25 years and my annual reviews are not based on whether or not a can pass a test; rather, it’s a reflection of how I am employing the discrete knowledge and skills I have acquired over the years. For example, if I were taking a sampling of the IEP’s I have written over my career, I would guess that looking at them would show continued growth and development. Learning is a lifelong process. I am continually adjusting and refining my knowledge and skills because of what I have learned from new situations, sharing of ideas, etc.
Question three, “Why is it important that teachers consider assessment before they begin planning lessons or projects?” is an important idea to keep in mind when planning. I like the analogy that if I want to construct an addition onto my home I don’t simply just start putting up walls. I need to know what I want when it’s completed; therefore, I have to consider what the space will be used for before I can begin to talk about where the addition will go, its size, how to connect it with existing heating/cooling, etc. After considering what I want the final product to be, then I can focus and plan for the details or steps along the way. Assessment is much the same. If I don’t know what the assessment will be, then how do I know what pieces I have to teach and the most beneficial methods, strategies, or activities for teaching the needed information.
In thinking beyond the article, one strategy I would share with a new teacher is to consider what type of knowledge the student will be expected to acquire by the end of the lesson. Is the knowledge declarative meaning the need to recall important facts or information? Is the knowledge procedural meaning students’ have to know the necessary steps to follow? Or is the knowledge strategic meaning what information is needed to plan or make a decision? Seeing as how I spend the majority of my day teaching Algebra, understanding what type of knowledge students should have learned from the lesson helps me to identify the type of assessment I want to use. If I am assessing the students’ procedural knowledge then I may use a sorting activity, simple multiple-choice question or matching task. This is when I tend to incorporate technology using ThinkTech. Many of these activities can be left “open” for students to participate in repeated practice beyond the lesson timeframe. If the knowledge I wanted students to acquire was procedural in nature, then I tend to use an exit ticket with one (maybe two) question where students need to “show” whether or not they have learned the necessary steps to follow. When the knowledge I want students to acquire is strategic, I often ask students to decide about what mathematical process the student would use and why.
Again, what resonates the most with me from reading the article and thinking about what I do in the classroom, it is important to have the end in mind. What should students be able to do or know at the conclusion of the lesson. Having this information is useful in identifying the objectives or smaller components of the overall final product or performance. Helps me to chunk or break down more complex and sophisticated learning.
Wiggins’ response to question one, “What distinctions do you make between testing and assessment?” is a good reminder that testing is a snapshot where assessment is more tracking the growth. I have been a special educator for 25 years and my annual reviews are not based on whether or not a can pass a test; rather, it’s a reflection of how I am employing the discrete knowledge and skills I have acquired over the years. For example, if I were taking a sampling of the IEP’s I have written over my career, I would guess that looking at them would show continued growth and development. Learning is a lifelong process. I am continually adjusting and refining my knowledge and skills because of what I have learned from new situations, sharing of ideas, etc.
Question three, “Why is it important that teachers consider assessment before they begin planning lessons or projects?” is an important idea to keep in mind when planning. I like the analogy that if I want to construct an addition onto my home I don’t simply just start putting up walls. I need to know what I want when it’s completed; therefore, I have to consider what the space will be used for before I can begin to talk about where the addition will go, its size, how to connect it with existing heating/cooling, etc. After considering what I want the final product to be, then I can focus and plan for the details or steps along the way. Assessment is much the same. If I don’t know what the assessment will be, then how do I know what pieces I have to teach and the most beneficial methods, strategies, or activities for teaching the needed information.
In thinking beyond the article, one strategy I would share with a new teacher is to consider what type of knowledge the student will be expected to acquire by the end of the lesson. Is the knowledge declarative meaning the need to recall important facts or information? Is the knowledge procedural meaning students’ have to know the necessary steps to follow? Or is the knowledge strategic meaning what information is needed to plan or make a decision? Seeing as how I spend the majority of my day teaching Algebra, understanding what type of knowledge students should have learned from the lesson helps me to identify the type of assessment I want to use. If I am assessing the students’ procedural knowledge then I may use a sorting activity, simple multiple-choice question or matching task. This is when I tend to incorporate technology using ThinkTech. Many of these activities can be left “open” for students to participate in repeated practice beyond the lesson timeframe. If the knowledge I wanted students to acquire was procedural in nature, then I tend to use an exit ticket with one (maybe two) question where students need to “show” whether or not they have learned the necessary steps to follow. When the knowledge I want students to acquire is strategic, I often ask students to decide about what mathematical process the student would use and why.
Again, what resonates the most with me from reading the article and thinking about what I do in the classroom, it is important to have the end in mind. What should students be able to do or know at the conclusion of the lesson. Having this information is useful in identifying the objectives or smaller components of the overall final product or performance. Helps me to chunk or break down more complex and sophisticated learning.